Corrections_Today_July_August_2019_Vol.84_No.4

nEWS & vIEWS

Correctional Chaplain Perspectives

Choices: Finding the true cause of the incarceration of males and how to inspire change By Roy Smith, Ph.D., MDiv S ometimes what appears to be the source of a complex issue is only the surface of an intricate

web of other problems that must be addressed in order to fully solve the main issue. Consider individuals in prison — what led them to their cur- rent situation? Many experienced a moment of choice, and rather than thinking through the situation, they acted impulsively, reactively or selfishly. They convinced them- selves that normal consequences did not matter or could somehow be avoided. Human willfulness has been a strong determinant for action ever since the beginning of humanity when Adam and Eve decided to eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden in an attempt to be like God. 1 Willfulness alone, however, does not explain the entire decision-making process. There are patterns of influential internal and external factors that in- crease the probability of destructive choices which workers, volunteers and ministers in the field of criminal justice have long recognized. 2

istock/ilkercelik

Because most individuals already have some level of awareness about their negative habits, behaviors and attitudes, it is not particularly effec- tive to simply tell someone what they

should be doing differently. Aware- ness by itself is not likely to help them make more rational and posi- tive decisions in the future because they still lack the ability to explore,

8 — July/August 2019 Corrections Today